Dreams
by PlainJane101
Summary: Takes place right after Thor the Dark World. Jane is plagued with an awful dream of Loki, whom she thought dead, murdering Odin and usurping the throne of Asgard. She is unsure of what this could mean and fails to tell Thor about it. This is the start of the story and is open to those who wish to give ideas of where they want to see this story go. Thor/Jane. Chapter 3 revised.
1. Chapter 1 Bad Dream

**I've been toying with this idea for a while and decided to write it down. Now, I'm not exactly sure as to where I'm heading with this, nor am I sure how I want to end it, so feel free to leave suggestions in your reviews if you decide to leave any. That would be greatly appreciated. Also, I feel as though the relationship between Thor and Jane in this chapter is dry. There's not a whole lot of substance, but I'd like that to change in the future chapters. If you also have any suggestions as of how I can flesh out their relationship a bit more, I'm open to suggestions. I understand that this may not match Norse mythology, but I am tweaking it slightly to suit the story as I believe this maybe an AU. Not completely sure, because Odin's fate is a mystery at the end of Thor the Dark World, so yeah. Anyways, please sit back, relax, and enjoy the read!**

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**Chapter 1 **

The old king stands upon the golden steps leading up to the golden throne that's encrusted with only the finest cut gems, cushioned with the softest scarlet pillows that are stitched in place by the strongest deep green thread that has possibly ever existed. Clinging to Gungnir, he tries to lift himself above the grief over the murder of his beloved Queen, Frigga, but he feels as though he's pushing against Malekith's entire army. His eyes are dry of tears. All of the pain is locked inside his old body.

He gazes upon the throne, lost, confused, and helpless like an infant without a mother and father. That's how he found Loki. Abandoned, no parents present. He thought the only justice that could be left for the unusually small Jotun baby was for him to take the infant into his home and raise him as an Asgardian. And perhaps, one day, by giving this child the finest home, feeding him the most nourishing food, and cherishing him with the tenderest love, the Jotuns and the Asgardians could leave their tension and enter into an alliance, bringing about peace between the two realms. At the moment he took the baby home to Frigga and to their son, Thor, who had just started walking on his own, he never imagined the amount of anger and hate the little baby could harbor within himself, amounting to the destruction of a whole realm and to the forceful and tyrannical ruling over another. He still cannot fathom it. And it's this, this that he is most ashamed of. A child is born, and then they are molded into the being they are by the influences around them. No child is born evil. No child is born to be hateful and angry. It is always the influences around them that make them that way. Odin is the influence that shaped and molded Loki to be the way he is.

When his wife was still living, he shared this deepest thought with her. She quickly rebuked him for thinking such a thing, saying "It was not you. I was the one who told him that the Jotuns were monsters at his bedside. He is our son and he will always be so. I should have told him that the Jotuns were not monsters, but beings like us with a beating heart, two eyes, two arms, two legs, a mind, and a soul." She had begun to weep, burying her face into her hands. He did all he could to comfort her, but Thor had just brought Loki back by the Tesseract, and both the Tesseract and Loki had to be dealt with appropriately.

But now, she is dead, her body gone amongst the stars and her soul to Valhalla. He should have seen it, and yet he did not. And once again, Thor defied his orders. He has taken Loki and the Midgardian, whom Thor calls Jane, to have Malekith draw the Aether out of her. While it is good that Thor is doing something to stop Malekith, he knows of the great risk in this – Loki. But he hopes that Thor succeeds, because this is the only way to stop Malekith from shrouding all nine realms in darkness. Odin was unable to take the action that Thor had taken. And sometimes a Kingdom's survival depends solely upon the Leader's ability to act quickly. That is why when Thor gets back, Odin is stepping down. He is no longer fit to rule. He feels the weakness down to his bones. His heart sometimes fails to beat. His mind is fogged with grief and his desires are of Valhalla these past few days, not of his people.

His time is coming to an end. Thor will have to take the throne. Above all, a King's most important duty, that above his family and those whom he holds in his heart, is his people. He is their leader, their guardian. He cannot abandon them in pursuit of his own interest. To do so is the greatest crime a king can commit, even more so than treason. This is something that Thor will discover on his own, as Odin had discovered on his own. One cannot simply tell a king his most important duty because even if one tells him it, he will not know it. Saying and hearing it is not enough. He must live it.

"Sir…" A man's voice speaks from behind.

"Yes?"

"Sir, we searched Svartalfheim…"

"And?" Odin asks.

"We found a body." The voice – Odin would recognize that voice from behind five hundred closed doors if it was a whisper.

"Loki." He acknowledges, looking over his shoulder at the guard clad in gold armor. The guard lifts his gaze to him, the disguise melting away to the green and black clothes as a soft grin crosses his face. In his right hand is a sword, which is strange to see as Loki prefers a dagger if he wields any blade at all. He steps up the stairs, one at a time, eyeing Odin, silent as he comes up to his side. Odin turns to face his son, sets Gungnir on the floor, and straightens his old back, pushing against the weight of Malekith's whole army.

"What do you hope to accomplish here, my son?" Odin asks.

"I have not a single drop of Asgardian blood in me. Do not call me that." Loki says softly, almost too softly for all the anger the man has.

"Your mother and I –"

"Do not speak of her. Do not speak of her!" Loki cries out, the tears starting to gather at the corners of his eyes.

"Your mother never stopped calling you her son." Odin says calmly. Loki lashes out with the sword, nearly taking off Odin's head as he dodges out of the way, tripping over steps and falling down them, his head smacking the sharp edge of the second step. His vision blurs slightly as he moans from the sharp pain that shoots from the wound down his spine. Putting his hand to the back of his head, he feels the warm blood coat his fingers. If he was stronger, he would not have this wound. Gazing up at the throne, he watches as Loki falls to his knees, the sword clattering to the golden floor as he sobs into his hands. It's seeing this, his own son whom he loves, which brings the tears to his eyes. Broken and despairing, perhaps somewhere inside of him there is still some desire for repentance.

Despite the blood trickling out of the considerable sized wound, he trembles as he gets to his feet.

"My son," Odin pleads as he walks up the steps, the second and the third. "please, give up your hate." Up the fourth. "You have a home here." Up the fifth.

"I do not have it." He mutters bitterly into his hands as the sobs quiet.

"You do have it." Up the sixth. Loki is silent as his hands start to lower. "It is here with me and with your brother, Thor." Up the seventh and upon the eighth step is Loki at the seat of the throne, as if pleading to an imaginary king sitting upon it. At his right side is the sword and at his knees is Gungnir. The blood slowly slips down the back of Odin's neck and stains the collar of his golden under tunic. "Your mother believed that this was your home. If you can't give up your hate for me and your brother, then give it up for your mother. She wanted nothing more than for you to return to us and accept our embraces. Let her smile upon you from Valhalla this day."

In the blink of an eye, Loki cries out in anger as he grabs the sword and in one spinning movement, rises to his feet and allows the sharp blade to end Odin's life quickly.

Jane's eyes fly open as she sits upright in bed. Her heart is pounding against her chest, the sweat cakes her entire body as the image of the crimson coated sword is still fresh in her mind. Hugging the dark blue sheets to her shaking body, she quickly runs her hand through her sweaty hair back out of her face. Gee. Even her hair is soaked.

"Jane?" A deep, tired voice asks from her left side in the dark, strong hands wrapping about her shoulders. "Are you alright?" She looks at Thor, the shadow hiding the left half of his face, the other half etched with concern. She can only manage a nod as she tries to regain her breath.

"Just a –" She takes a gulp of air. " – bad dream. That's all." He eases her back down, resting her head atop his shoulder as he strokes from her forehead to her hairline repeatedly. For a few moments, she breathes in and out as evenly as she can, trying to calm her racing heart. Slowly her body returns to normal, but the horror is still fresh. It must have been a bad dream. It was so vivid, though. Now, there must be some logical reason behind this. Perhaps her subconscious is trying to get used to the fact that Thor is right next to her. Although the dreams related to him should be happy ones, not ones with murder.

"Jane, are you still awake?" He whispers as he stops stroking her head.

"Yes." She says, lifting her eyes to his as she pulls the sheets up to her chin because of the cold.

"What did you dream of that made you wake with such fright?"

"Did I wake you?" She asks, feeling sorry for it.

"Do not worry about that. What did you dream of?" He asks, the heaviness of sleep having disappeared from his eyes now wide open, patient and expectant.

"I…" She trails off. Should she tell him that she dreamt about Loki, who is dead, murdering his father on the steps of the throne of Asgard? How would he react? And perhaps it is just some silly dream, her mind creating impossible scenarios to help her actually believe that she is currently in Thor's arms. Thor still gazes down at her, waiting for her answer.

"I…dreamt of falling…down a cliff and into…a lion's den. And the lion wanted to eat me. That's what scared me so much." Thor's brow furrows, whether in confusion or in disbelief, she cannot tell.

"You became scared because you thought a lion was going to eat you?" He asks, the words edged with suspicion. Shoot. What else can she say?

"Yes. That's it. My worst fear is to be eaten alive. Who wants to die being eaten alive? I sure don't." Thor's eyes widen at this, and a smile he tries to suppress breaks out. He begins chuckling, which makes her uneasy, but she's also grateful because it draws attention from the suspicion he had of her earlier. "What's so funny about that?" She asks, slightly hurt.

"Ah, I'm sorry, Jane. My question to you would be who would eat you?" Thor asks as his chuckles die.

"I don't know. Maybe some crazy guy who takes me out of my bed." Jane tries to reason, although she feels like a child making up a fairy tale. Ridiculous.

"I would not let anyone take you from your bed."

"When did I since require a bed-guardian?" She jokes, shaking her head at him as he chuckles.

"I can leave." He starts to pull away from her, but she throws her arms about him, their noses nearly touching.

"Don't." She pleads. "I don't want you to leave again. I know you'll have to leave to return to Asgard to help with the repairs, but not tonight."

"I'm not leaving tonight. You have my word." His word is all she needs. He kisses her with a fiery passion that makes her heart beat faster and she eagerly returns it, that year apart urging her forward. The passion and lust intensifies as he crawls atop her, her mind running through where this is leading. And she wants him. She's not about to stop him.

As they part briefly for air, the image of the crimson soaked sword flashes across her mind. A sick feeling fills her gut as he kisses her again. She pushes him away abruptly, startling him.

"I'm sorry, Jane. Did I do something?" He asks as she escapes him, jumping out of bed and not moving any further, seeing Odin's corpse lying on the golden steps, mass amounts of blood running from his head down the steps like a waterfall and Loki sitting upon the throne with Gungnir in hand, Thor's recognizable red cape fluttering in the distance as he walks out of the long throne room and away from his destiny. "Jane?" Thor's voice makes the image disappear. "I'm sorry if I did anything. I will never force you to d-"

"I know, Thor." Jane cuts him off as she turns around to face him, he a foot taller than her on his own two feet. "You're a good man…" He smiles. He kisses her again, this time gently and without rush. All the while, her mind is plagued with the horrifying image of Loki upon the throne with Odin dead at his feet.

**Once again, I'm open to any suggestions at all as of where I should head with this story. What should the next chapter be about? What would you like to see? I have a few other ideas in mind and plan on bringing Death, I believe she is a sort of very powerful being, into this. And Jane will experience a bunch of 'dreams', so they can be really anything. Also, how can I add more substance to their relationship for those who ship Thor/Jane? Thanks! I'll write the next chapter as soon as I can!**


	2. Chapter 2 Not Even Her Mind

**Well, here it is. Chapter 2. I appreciate the suggestions I have gotten from you reviewers so far. Most of you said you think she should have told him about the dream. I made her regret not telling him. And secondly, I cannot say how long they will be separated. It might be for a bit, but I will do my best to keep up with both of them. Thirdly, there is a little surprise at the end of this chapter for you guys! In your reviews, please leave detailed descriptions of what you'd like to see happen next! Once again, my thanks to Thane lover, Anon, and animallover2000 for their reviews and suggestions and to those who put this story on their favorites and their alert lists.**

**Please, sit back, relax, and enjoy the read.**

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**Summary of Chapter 1: Jane experienced a nightmare of Loki, who's presumably dead, coming back, killing Odin and usurping the throne of Asgard. She failed to tell Thor of the dream and dismissed it as a silly little nightmare, which she will soon come to regret.**

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**Chapter 2**

Jane stares at the bright blue sky spotted with sparse white clouds. Just a moment ago, perhaps two, Thor and she were embracing, the tears slipping down her cheeks as they bid farewell.

"I will be back. You have my word." He had said as he wiped the tears from her cheeks with his free hand, Mjolnir in the other. They shared one final kiss, the salty taste of her tears on the tip of her tongue. As he pulled away and stood back, it's as though he took a piece of her heart with him. With a sad smile, he looked up at the sky. No sooner did he do that, a visible wormhole shot down with shimmers of blue, lavender, pink and yellow engulfing him. The wormhole disappeared into thin air, leaving Jane alone atop the roof of the apartment building.

"Jane?" She knows that voice. Turning, she smiles as Darcy stops at her side. "You know, if he doesn't come back, you've always got Richard." The statement sends a wave of surprise through Jane as she looks to the sky.

"He will come back." She says confidently. "The Bifrost has been repaired."

"Oh…did he say when he'd come back?" Jane looks back at Darcy, shaking her head.

"It could be a few days, a few weeks, maybe even a couple of months. I understand, though. There was a lot of damage and it's his duty to his people to help with the realm's repairs. He is their future king." Darcy nods with a confused expression.

"And why are you so understanding about this all of a sudden? Shouldn't you be, I don't know, reverting back to your moping self, eating ice cream and wearing your pajamas?" She motions to Jane who wears blue jeans, black boots, and a cream colored, long sleeved blouse. Jane looks down at her clothes and back at Darcy.

"Because he's Asgard future King. He would never turn his back on his own people." Darcy cocks a brow.

"Did you eat some bad eggs or wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning? I thought you woke up on the right side because Thor was in it. Or is this a new way you're trying to cope with Thor leaving _again_." Jane laughs, shaking her head as she recalls the horrible nightmare of Loki tossing the sword behind the throne, turning and picking up Gungnir, familiar with the feel of the magic radiating off of the wood.

"I thought Gungnir was made of some sort of metal." Jane says aloud.

"What?" Darcy asks as she looks at Jane.

"Gungnir, it looked to me like it was made of metal, but I guess not."

"Neu-Nue? What's Nue-Nue?" Darcy asks in confusion. Jane looks at the woman next to her, her eyes wide and her arms crossed.

"Nothing. It's nothing."

"Come on, you two!" Erik calls out. The two turn to see his head peeking past the door which leads to the inside of the apartment building. "We've got work to do."

"We're coming!" Darcy replies as the two start making their way back. "I hope he's wearing pants." Darcy whispers in Jane's ear. The two begin snickering like little schoolgirls as they stop a few feet before Erik, Jane actually relieved to see fresh black pants and a blue sweater on him.

"Darcy, you should head on down. Ian wanted to see you." Erik says.

"Ooh! I better get going! See you two downstairs!" Darcy squeezes past Erik and disappears down the stairs, the two of them waiting until the sound of her quick, excited footsteps are but faint echoes, like the patter of a very small mouse.

Erik looks to Jane with a small smile. "How are you feeling, Jane?"

"He will come back, if that's what you're referring too." Erik bobs his head.

"That's not what I had in mind, but at least you believe he will come back, unlike last time." Jane wants to roll her eyes, but she prevents herself as she nods and smiles. Erik looks at her, seeming to be calculating something in his mind like she sometimes catches him doing. "Jane, Thor woke me up at the 'first break of light' in his words, which I forget the time, but aside from that, he said he wanted to speak with me and that it was urgent. And so, being the gentleman that I am, got up out of bed, put on some pants and listened to him. He told me that you had a nightmare last night."

"So? Everyone has nightmares. Everyone, at some point in their lives, wakes up scared." An image of Loki looking at the empty entrance of the throne room fills her mind. Thor is coming. A wave of green light trimmed with gold starts a few feet from the bottom step and moves forward, Odin and his blood disappearing completely and Loki's form taking on Odin down to every pore.

"What concerned him was the 'fright with which you awoke'." The image fades away to reveal Erik looking down at her. "He said even your hair was soaked with sweat. I would be like you and think you just had a bad dream, but what concerns me is that you're hair was 'soaked' in sweat. I've never known anyone to sweat that much."

"Erik, I took a shower. The water washed everything away. It's fine." Jane goes to squeeze past him, but he grabs her shoulder with a firm gentleness, almost with a fatherly concern.

"Are you sure you don't want to tell me about this dream of yours?" Easing herself from his hold, she turns to him.

"I'm sure. It's a ridiculous one, anyways, and it's not worth remembering. Come on, let's get to work." Jane turns and makes her way down the dark green, wooden stairs, wondering why she didn't sit down and tell him. Why not? If he was willing to listen…why not?

Stopping midflight, she turns back. "Erik, I –" She stops short, Erik not standing behind her. "Erik?!" She questions as she leans over the railing and peers up the three flights of stairs, hoping to see his head poking past the railing. No sign of him. There's no sign of anyone. It's highly unlikely that Erik would be playing hide and seek on her. Now Darcy might do that, but not him. There's no way he could have gone past her and this is the only way down into the apartment complex. Maybe he stayed on the roof?

For her own sanity's sake, she runs back up the stairs only to find the door is closed and the latches locked. He can't be on the roof because that'd mean he's locked out. She wouldn't lock him out…would she? Unlatching the three bolts, she opens the door and peaks out. "Erik?!" She calls. No response. Just the cool wind blowing gently and the sound of cars driving twenty stories below. Relief washes away her fear as she closes the door again and latches it. But as she turns, she wonders where Erik went.

Hurrying back down four flights of stairs, she arrives at the door, the plate reading 316. She grasps the golden knob and tries to turn it, but it doesn't budge.

"Erik? Darcy?! Are you guys in there?" She asks, knocking softly. A latch becomes undone from the other side of the door, the deadbolt is unlocked and the door opens to reveal Erik standing there, his brow furrowed in concern.

"I was wondering when you'd come down. I was about to come up my-"

"How are you in here?" Jane asks. "How did you get past me without me even noticing?"

"I…I never came up." Those words send a chill throughout her whole body.

"But, you were up there, asking me about the nightmare! Thor told you at 'the first break of light' about it, didn't he?"

"Yeah, he did wake me up and told me about it, but I told him that we humans sometimes get really bad dreams and to not worry about it. He was still concerned, but he didn't mention it anymore and he let me go back to sleep."

"But, then who came up to get Darcy and me?"

"I did." Ian says as he comes up to Erik's right side and Darcy on the left. "You said you wanted a few minutes alone and so we left." Jane shakes her head, a cloud of confusion settling over her. Now, there must be some reasonable explanation for this.

"Jane, are you alright?" Erik asks as he lays a reassuring hand on her left shoulder, like he did, or she thought he did, atop the roof.

"I think she's lost her marbles." Darcy mutters into Ian's ear.

"I heard that."

"Well, you are acting a bit strange." Ian points out.

"Jane, sit down and look over some notes on the Interstellar medium. I'll make some coffee." Erik steps aside and the three pairs of eyes burn into her as she steps forward towards their workspace. It's past the kitchen, a table filled with papers and equipment at the center of the room, a small desk off to the side also with papers on it, but not as cluttered, and beyond the table is the moderate sized balcony where even more of their equipment is set up. Thor was going to leave from the balcony, but Jane wanted to go to the roof so it could just be them. No prying eyes would be watching the hard goodbye. Taking her seat at the center table, she finds the notes on the IMS and begins reading Erik's atrocious handwriting, but the words on the page barely register in her mind as she sees the page fill with blood…Odin's blood. She turns over the next page only to find that the ink is blood. The next page and the next, running with his blood and spilling onto her lap.

She screams and throws the blood soaked papers as far away from her as possible. The papers hit the wall with a sickening splat and slide to the floor, leaving a crimson trail in its wake. She looks to Erik who continues making the coffee, horrifyingly calm. Darcy and Ian sit on the couch, messing with her iPod. Ian laughs hard and hands the iPod to Darcy.

"That's awesome! You've got so many people following you on facebook!"

"The trick is to get the God of Thunder's picture on there eating pop tarts! Then everyone starts following me." She says, quite pleased with herself. "If only I could get paid to take pictures of him. I'd be rich because so many people would want copies of them."

Jane looks back, seeing the IMS notes still in her hands, her clothes clean of Odin's blood. She looks back to the wall. No blood trail. Looking back down at the notes, she sees that they're written in black ink. She should've told Thor. She should've told him about the dream. Why did she lie? But, it can't be right. Loki's dead. She saw him killed by Kurse with her own two eyes. She saw Thor mourn his passing. But then again, Loki did make it appear that he cut off Thor's hand when he really didn't…so could it be possible that he faked his own death?

She wants to scream, to run to the roof and beg Heimdall passage to Asgard, but she's frozen in her seat, as if against her own will.

"Here, Jane." She looks up to see Erik standing at her side with two white mugs of coffee, he offering her the one in his right.

"Erik, please help me." She pleads as she reaches up and takes the cup from him.

"You're welcome." He turns and begins shuffling through the papers. "So what do you think about the IMS notes?"

"No, Erik, please, help me! Loki's alive! He took the throne under the guise of Odin! He murdered Odin!" Erik's eyes grow wide as he grins widely.

"That's amazing, Jane! My God! You better write a thesis on that! You're smarter today than usual! You must have had a good night's sleep or something." Jane cries out, hoping that they hear her, but Erik merely looks down at the papers before him, picking a pen out of a cup of pens and writing down something. Darcy and Ian still goof around with each other, the two lovebirds falling more and more in love.

"Darcy!" Jane pleads, but she can't move. She's a prisoner in her own body! What forces are keeping her tethered?! "Thor's in trouble! His brother is sitting on the throne! Please, Erik, help me!" But it's no use. None of them seem to hear her and she's glued to her seat, the IMS notes stuck in her hands.

~0~0~0~0~0~0 (Two days later – Midgard time)

Thor looks out at the destruction that Malekith and the Dark Elves left in their attack on Asgard from the end of the throne room. The smoke has disappeared. Pieces of Asgardian and Dark Elf ships lie in the golden streets, it's once crystal streams that ran on either side having run dry. Shops, homes, and farms have been damaged in various degrees, some with holes in their roofs to being a pile of blackened rubble. The realm used to have a certain golden glow to it, but that has been replaced with a dismal grey haze hanging low in the sky. He looks above his head, reaching up, his fingertips entering the haze.

Lowering his hand to eyelevel, he sees black soot coating them.

"The Dark Elves have left their mark here." Thor turns to see his father standing there, clad in gold armor and holding onto Gungnir for support.

"Father." Thor greets, bowing his head in respect. "Their mark will not remain here. Asgard will once again shine, standing out amongst the stars.

"And it will. I do not doubt it." Odin says, bobbing his head slightly.

"I am tired." Thor explains. "I will be back out there again soon to help." He turns back and gazes out upon the realm, analyzing it more closely. "I will lend my aid to the farmers on the shore of Marmora. There is more damage there than anywhere else. It would be best to first ensure a constant food source."

"You speak wisely, my son." Odin says. The two are silent for a moment, and it surprises Thor a bit that Odin does not join his side, which he has always done before in moments like these. Always.

"If you excuse me, Father, I wish to visit Heimdall. I will be brief, for then I will head to the farms."

"You may go." Odin says. Looking over his shoulder, Thor offers a smile, to which Odin's one eye only becomes stern. Strange. He must still be grieving for the loss of mother. A pang pierces his heart as a memory comes to mind, one of when his mother, he and Loki were strolling the streets, peering at the stands where vendors sold items ranging from meat to jewelry to weapons. His mother became particularly interested in a necklace. It was very small and simple, a short, thin silver chain with a small white pearl hanging from it. She loved simple things for she was a very humble Queen, a stark contrast to the previous Queen, the first Queen of Asgard who loved to wear large gems and heavy chains of jewelry.

"Does this please your eye, my Queen?" The vendor asked, lifting the simple chain.

"It is beautiful." Thor and Loki shared a look as their mother purchased the necklace at thrice the price that the Vendor had asked for. He accepted the money graciously, repeatedly thanking the Queen for her generosity. She quickly quieted him, though, for she did not want to make a blatant display of this simple act. At that moment, Thor wanted her humility. It is one of the most admirable qualities an Asgardian could possess. Then again, it had a dim appeal to it as well, for he loved to bask in the glory of his accomplishments. He had quickly forgotten what his mother had done, while Loki had not.

He tried to imitate her, perhaps giving a bit too much of himself to the point others took advantage of him in his youth. It's best to have a balance between pride and humility. One should not boast, but nor should they deny a compliment if one is given to them. Loki would deny a compliment when given to him, saying he still has much to learn. He could have said a simple thank you. Mother tried to teach him the perfect balance between the two qualities, but he always took to either one too much. Thor was simply bullheaded, thinking none could compare to him. Father, mother, Loki, Kurse…Kurse would've killed him were it not for Loki. Were it not for Jane and her friends, he could not have defeated Malekith. There are others that can compare to him, whether they are of Asgard, of Midgard, or of Svartalfheim.

Extending his right hand out before him, Mjolnir comes to him quickly. His outer black cloak falls to the floor to reveal the red cape and Mjolnir takes him to Heimdall in a less than a minute. Coming to rest on his feet, Heimdall stands with his back to Thor, his hands wrapped about Hǫfuð.

"You are tired?" Heimdall asks, keeping his gaze fixed ahead of him.

"Yes. It is strange." Thor says as he comes up to his friend's left side. "I am awake, and yet I am tired. I have tried lying down to sleep, but I cannot even close my eyes long enough to do so." Heimdall nods once, but still keeps his gaze straight. The both of them stand in a comfortable silence, knowing what question comes next. "How is she?" Thor asks.

Heimdall opens his mouth to speak, but then closes it. "I…it is difficult to tell."

"What?" Thor asks, alarm and disbelief filling him as he looks at the Bifrost, ready to head back to Midgard.

"There is no need for such alarm. She is asleep right now. She is calm and content on the outside, while she is distressed within."

"Distressed? About what?"

"I cannot say."

"How can you not say?" The anger starts to rise within Thor, but he keeps it contained.

"Because my King commands it. I might say why once Asgard is restored, but for now, you must put your people first." Heimdall says. Thor finds himself immovable. He can neither say nor do anything to deny Odin's command for something such as this.

"Fine. At the instant the last brick is laid, I will be here, and you will tell me what she is distressed about."

"You have not heard me, Thor. I might be able to tell you. I cannot guarantee it." Angry, Thor turns from Heimdall and flies for the shore of Marmora.

A couple of weeks pass as the farms along the glittering sea are restored to their former selves. Thor had gotten on his hands and knees, recovered some of the bricks lost in the sand and mud and helped to make many others alongside the people. He never imagined in his youth he'd be in the mud, helping to rebuild Asgard from such a devastating attack, but he must do this, for his people and for the answer of why Jane is distressed. Could it have anything to do with her dream? Could it have anything to do with her body previously being the Aether's host? Thor does not know. He works as swiftly and as carefully as he can alongside the farmers, lifting bricks, using the sand mixed with the water from the Marmora as a cohesive. It is ten times stronger than the cement that the Midgardians use for their buildings and lasts for ten thousand years. If only Malekith had attacked Midgard with the same force he had attacked Asgard with, well, he cannot even fathom the immense damage.

~0~0~0~0~0~0 (Three weeks later – Midgard time)

She's loosing it. Her body is acting on its own, keeping her needs satisfied. While she can't speak, the world responds to her as though she does. Every night she crawls into bed, the same dream continues to plague her, except the hatred with which the blade was swung into Odin's head becomes stronger. At times, she feels the immense pain inside of her head and she cries out in agony, and yet Erik, Darcy and Ian mill about the table, talking, laughing, drinking, eating, writing and one time even arguing over whether Darcy had set her phone down on the balcony ledge and it fell over or Ian was hiding it from her with the intent of simply teasing her.

She misses Thor. When he left, he took a piece of her heart with him. And now she needs him more than ever. Oh, why didn't she tell him about the dream?! He seemed genuinely concerned about it. Why didn't she tell him?! So what if he laughed at her? So what if he left immediately to see if what she dreamt of was true?! At least he would have known of the danger!

What if he's dead? What if Loki struck him down under the guise of Odin?! She goes to release a scream of horror, but finds her mouth sealed shut as she takes a bite of the tacos Darcy had cooked for dinner.

"That's amazing, isn't it? And the thesis went so well that astronomers are jumping all over it. Can you imagine the grants we'll get? And N.A.S.A. also wants a piece of the action." Erik says excitedly.

"I work for S.H.I.E.L.D." Jane says, though she does not even know what she is saying.

"Yeah, you cannot deny them." Darcy says distastefully. "Even if you want to make a life for yourself, S.H.I.E.L.D. will claim your work as their own and not share it with anyone."

"It does suck, but they didn't get the IMS thesis." Ian states on the lighter side.

"Because they don't care about that stuff." Jane says, her hands lifting the disgusting food to her mouth, her mouth opening taking a bite, chewing only three times and swallowing, nearly choking her, but she doesn't cough and takes another immediate bite. No. No, no, no, no, no! Now she can't even cry out! She can't even choke even if anybody else doesn't see it! It's bottled up inside of her. She searches through her brain, trying desperately to find some way to break whatever hold some force has over her body, controlling her actions. It's not her, moving her hands, eating, laughing, and conversing with Erik, Darcy and Ian at the table.

She stops dead in her search as she hits darkness. It's dark and radiating with evil, wanting to consume. What that is exactly, she can't say. With a will of its own, a mass of black and red trimmed arms emerge from this darkness and reach for her. She wants to run, to cry out for help, but she's immobile. Now even within the confines of her mind, she's a prisoner.

"You cannot hide." A voice, whether it's male or female, she cannot tell, speaks from it. "You cannot run. You see the power I hold over you. You cannot even have your mind.

"You wonder who I am. I will tell you. I am…

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**I am...you get to decide who the main enemy is. Those of you who leave descriptions of who you'd like the main enemy to be, I will do my best to take the best of your suggestions to make a great enemy. It sounds good in theory, doesn't it? Let's hope this works. Anyways, thanks again and what would you like to see happen next? **


	3. Chapter 3 The Day The Light Returned

_I_**_ revised chapter 3 a bit. I will try to delve more into Loki, but I will need help. What should I write about him? I read other stories and some write Loki very well. How should I write him? How should I portray him?_ Anyways, I want to especially thank NSThorlover, Thane lover, royale26, and the Guest who left their review. I also want to thank those who put this story on their alert/favorites list. Now, what do you guys want to happen next?! Please let me know through your reviews! I take the best of your ideas and blend them into a story...other ideas I incorporate as well, but in different ways. **

**Sit back, relax, and enjoy the read!**

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**Summary of Chapter 2: Thor has left for Asgard to help with the repairs from when Malekith attacked the city, leaving Jane on Midgard to continue her work as an astrophysicist. However, an unknown force takes control of Jane, starting with her movements down to her very mind. Now to find the identity of the unknown force...**

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**Chapter 3 The Day The Light Returned**

"…you." Out of the mist, a woman walks towards her, her neck, hands, and feet bound together in heavy gold chains. It's her. She's looking at a mirror image of herself. As she advances forward towards Jane, another woman holding the chain about her neck appears. She's strikingly beautiful, with sharp blue eyes, long golden tresses reaching down to her waist, and clad in flowing green robes, leaving her shoulders bare. Upon her head is matching green circlet, making her appear as though a queen…but of what? "I am you." She says again as the many arms grab Jane's limp body and drag her to the blonde woman upon her command.

"A touch of the Aether still remains inside of you, and I have harnessed control over it, therefore controlling you and in essence becoming you. I manipulated the Aether's ability to convert matter into dark matter." Horror. Sheer horror. Jane wants to scream, to run and to find Thor, but she can't even see out of her own eyes anymore. "I have almost completed the process of taking over your body. You should know who I am, though. My name is Amora. Many refer to me as Amora the enchantress. I have taken your body, your mind, your eyes, ears, every single part except…" She stalks towards Jane as the chained image of her vanishes. It's then that Jane feels the cold metal about her neck, her wrists, and her ankles. Amora stalks forward and kneels down to her eyelevel. "…your heart. Your heart belongs to Thor, which I intend to take and destroy. He will not mourn your passing, rather he will dance on your grave with glee. He will have my heart and I will have his." Why? Jane cannot speak, but she still can manage that single word to echo in her mind in her own voice. Why?

"Why not? I have loved him from afar and watching him pledge himself to a mere mortal is the last I will tolerate." She rises to her feet and gazes down with hatred at Jane. "All tied up like a fish. What does he see in you?" Amora asks herself as she pulls a dagger from the belt about her waist. "Now, I will cast out your soul and take your body as my own." With no more words, Amora is quick, bringing the dagger to Jane's throat. The knife slices into the flesh, the pain so excruciating, she feels her strength draining quickly. Jane fights with all her might, trying to stay inside of her body, but she feels Amora's soul moving in, pushing Jane out more and more. There's only room in one body for one soul, it seems. As Amora finishes drawing the blade out of the flesh, the last tether is split.

She floats in the darkness aimlessly. Where is she?! She can't move any of her limbs! She can't see! She can't hear! She can't smell, breathe, anything! And worst of all, she can't feel. It's not cold, not hot, it's nothing. Nothing at all. Nothing to cry over, nothing to laugh over. No joy, no hurt. No physical pain, no giddiness. This must be some horrible dream!

"Jane." The voice is far off, yet eerily familiar. She recognizes it. She hears! Thor. "Jane." She tries to open her mouth, but can't. A blur of colors start to lighten up. She can see! At least a little. To her overwhelming joy, she watches as the colors start to lighten up even more and start to take shape. They become crisper and clearer and she sees a long black garment trimmed with gold reaching to the ankles of black boots. The head has blonde hair, which she realizes that its Thor standing in a golden room, his back to her as she lies on the ground. He turns around, a look of anger on his face.

"Where is she?!" He demands. Jane follows his gaze to see herself standing there, except she's dressed in the flowing green robes with the circlet on her head. She doesn't answer as Odin approaches her side, but she knows that it's not Odin.

"Loki." Thor recognizes through gritted teeth. Odin melts away to Loki, holding Gungnir in his right hand.

"What have you done to father?!" Thor pleads, taking on a strangely different tune. Jane tries to cry out to get Thor's attention, to warn him of what's to come, but it's too late. Too late. She can only watch as Loki looks to the steps leading up to the throne as the illusion shimmers away beneath a green line, revealing inch by inch Odin's rotting corpse, the ravens sitting atop it, picking the flesh from the body, and the dried pool of blood upon the ground. She looks back at Thor who stares in disbelief, but then cries out in anger as he extends his right hand, calling for Mjolnir.

Loki's laughter slowly starts to fill the air, though, as a moment passes with no Mjolnir. "You fool." Loki says as he approaches him. Thor looks at his hand in horror as he seems to realize something, though what that is, she doesn't know.

"Thor…" Amora, using Jane's voice, approaches him. He looks to her, anger settling in again.

"Let her go!" He demands, the desperation settling in him as she lays Jane's hands on his shoulders and pushes him down to his knees.

"My love, she's dead. Only one body can have one soul. You've lost everything. Your father, your mother, your lover, your kingdom, and your power…all because you gave the throne to Loki."

"If I had known! If I had known, I would have struck you down!" Thor yells as he looks at Loki, but it only makes the trickster laugh harder until the tears start to roll down his pale cheeks.

"You will never get the chance." Jane can only watch in frozen horror as Loki produces a knife from thin air, grabs Thor's right wrist and strikes off the hand! She tries to scream, but can't. She tries to get up, to run to him, but can't. He cries out in agony as he did when Loki and he had tricked Malekith, but this time the pain is real. On Jane's face a look of sadness comes over it.

"I'm sorry it had to end this way." Amora says in Jane's voice as she releases Thor, letting him clutch his stump to his chest as Jane feels his power, the mighty power of Thor, draining from him.

The image of Thor starts to fade away to darkness. Thor! Jane's mind screams, but she can't speak as she is pulled away. Darkness envelopes her again where she can't see, hear, feel, smell, or even think.

Another image starts to come into focus. The colors lighten and she smells something, something aromatic. As the colors become crisper, she sees that water sparkling beyond a smooth wooden railing. Smooth. That's a feel. Looking down upon her own will! Her own, she sees her hands wrapped tightly about it. Looking out again, she watches as three little girls play in the water across the stream, their laughter carrying in the wind to her ears. She hears! And she can think! Never has she come to value her freedom of movement, of thought, of hearing, seeing, smelling, and feeling this much. She didn't realize what she had until it was taken from her.

"Jane." Turning her own head, she sees Thor standing there, his typical black cloak covering most of his armor. Looking down at his hands, she sees he has both of them, still attached to him. She excitedly looks back up at him as he grins.

"Thor!" She squeals with excitement as she releases the railing, turns and throws herself onto him, he falling a step back from the impact as he wraps his arms about her middle securely. "You're alright! You're alright!" The tears stream down her cheeks in abundance.

"Of course I'm alright." He laughs along with her, easing her arms off his neck so to meet her gaze. "Why are you crying?" He begins wiping the tears away with his right thumb.

"I'm so sorry! I should've told you." The guilt starts to seep into her heart.

"Told me what? I do not understand." The grin disappears as he stops wiping her tears away.

"About the dream. I should have told you."

"Jane, please explain. What dream?"

"Where Loki murdered Odin and took the throne under his guise!" Thor's eyes widen with shock and he doesn't speak for a moment.

"Please, say something." The tears start to blur her vision. "Anything!"

"You betrayed me." He releases her waist and takes a step back from her.

"No, I –"

"You knew this all along and never told me?! Why, Jane, why?!" He pleads.

"Please, Thor!" Reaching out his right hand, Mjolnir comes to him. The sky suddenly darkens, thunder strikes the ground in various places, sending tremors through it like an earthquake, but not cracking the floor. Jane is thrown off balance and onto her back. It begins pouring, the raindrops coming at a slant which allows her to see enough. She finds herself unable to move or speak once again as she sees Thor look down at her with anger and hatred, a hatred she never thought possible. The rain soaks him through, his hair dripping of water and the raindrops rolling off his powerful shoulders as he steps over her, lowering his weight onto her and pinning her legs and arms beneath his knees, causing her great pain from the bones in her hands and legs slowly being crushed. She wants to scream, but can't as he grabs her throat with his left hand and raises Mjolnir high above his head. He cuts off the air to her lungs with his titan-like grip. The last thing she sees is him bringing Mjolnir down upon her head, blocking out any light.

…_heart beat…heart beat…heart beat…heart beat…_

Many birds cry out. Seagulls, by the sound of it. The sound of waves crash onto the shoreline, recede and crash again. The beat of the palm tree leaves as they dance in the wind. She hears these things, yet all she sees is darkness.

"Jane." No, no! Not again! Not again! What next?! Is something else going to happen to Thor?! Or is he coming to end her life again?! "Jane. Jane!"

Her eyes flow open, but she is frozen at the face she sees hovering above hers.

"Frigga…I thought you were dead." Jane manages to say on her own. She smiles down at her.

"Death of the body is one thing. Death of the soul is another." She rises to her feet, dressed in a beautiful brown grown encrusted with golden gems. Her curly brown hair is pulled back out of her face, falling down to her hips. Extending her hand towards Jane, she says "Come on. We must move." Without hesitation, Jane takes her hand and Frigga pulls her to her feet.

"I don't understand what's going on."

"I will explain once we reach safety, but for now, we must find shelter before the sun sets." Before Jane can say anything else, Frigga turns and starts jogging for the line of palm trees which leads to a strange jungle beyond it. Jane starts to follow, but looks back briefly to the sky. Millions upon billions of stars fill the sky and two massive suns hang just above the clear blue ocean. It's so clear that she can see the strange, alien marine life swimming one hundred miles off from where she stands. And it's a blue she's never seen before.

"Jane!" Frigga's voice draws her attention. Turning back, Frigga stands at the tree line, waiting for her. "Quickly, now!" Jane runs for the tree line, realizing that she is wearing a long gown as well, but it's far simpler than Frigga's and the fabric is the color of the ocean. Very beautiful. Hitching up the front of it, she follows Frigga into the jungle, hopping over fallen tree trunks and dodging other trees just like Frigga.

"Why can't we be out past sunset?!" Jane asks, catching up to Frigga's left side as the jungle begins to grow less dense with fewer trees, smaller and thinner.

"Because at night…"

~0~0~0~0~0~0(Six Months Later – Midgard Time)

Night and day, Thor worked tirelessly, laying brick upon brick. All the while, he tried to figure out why Jane had such a bad dream. What could her dream possibly have been about? Hopefully it is nothing more than what she said – a silly dream, and nothing more. Yet he can't shake the fright with which she awoke. He had never seen such horror on her face.

"The last brick." Sif says with a triumphant grin as she places the golden rectangle in Thor's hands. "You should have the honor of laying the last one down." He smiles as he turns, spotting the gaping hole in the wall of the blacksmith's shop. He pushes the last brick in and steps back, awe coming over him as he sees the grey haze start to lift. The golden glow pushes through like the sun breaking through on a cloud day. It seems as though the dust is consumed by the light. All of Asgard starts to cheer at seeing the return of the light. And Thor cheers as well, happy to see his home restored to full once again.

Jane. He may visit her now. He has served his people. Now he can go to her. Does the two of them not deserve just a moment together, even if it is a short moment, together?

"We must celebrate this momentous occasion! The day the light returned to Asgard!" Fandral declares for everyone in the square as he turns to Thor. "Should we not, Thor?!" Everyone's gaze falls upon Thor. He cannot visit her just yet. With a heavy heart, he knows he cannot deny his people celebration for this. It truly is a momentous occasion. He will leave for Midgard tonight after the celebrations.

"Let us celebrate! Bring the grapes and press them to wine! Gather the wheat, grind it to flour, and bake the bread! Slay the fattest of cows and cook them! Let us celebrate the day the light returned to Asgard!" Thor declares aloud, his voice deep, happy, and an air of authority coming from his raw power.

The city becomes a buzz of excitement as the farmers run back home and pick out the fattest of their cattle, slitting their throats and letting them bleed to death. The farmers of the Vineyards quickly pick the grapes untouched by Malekith's wrath and dump them into the vats where their daughters and wives hitch up their dresses, tuck the hems into their belts, take off their sandals and jump into the grapes as if jumping into the ocean for a good swim, crushing the grapes beneath their feet. The renowned cooks come, collect the meat from the farmers and the flour from the mills, cooking and baking the meat and bread. Shop owners come together and contribute to the setup of tables, plates, and cups, making sure there is a seat for every man, woman and child of Asgard.

~0~0~0~0~0~0

From the entrance of the ThroneRoom, Loki watches all of this under the guise of Odin. A smile breaks out on his face, but beneath that smile, he deeply regrets having swung the sword at Odin. It was never his intention to kill him. The anger and the pain just overtook him. The only one who saw a greatness in him that was unique amongst Asgardians, the mastery of magic, was his mother. While Odin pressed both him and Thor to become warriors who wielded weapons, Frigga encourage and taught him how to use magic to manipulate what others perceive about him. He recalls the day when he, Thor and Frigga strolled the market and she had bought a simple chain for triple the price the vendor was asking for. The vendor began to praise her repeatedly and openly for her generosity, but she quickly quieted him, not wishing to let everyone know of what she had done.

That humility, Loki wanted to imitate her and be like her. When he tried to be like her, though, he was ridiculed and taken advantaged of. She gently tried to correct him, show him the perfect balance between pride and humility, but he failed to see what she was trying to explain to him.

He thinks of her singing a small lullaby as he fell to sleep at night when he was a small child. Her voice was so beautiful, so soft, and so full of love. A tear manages to slip down his left cheek as he does his best to push his mother from his mind. She was never his mother. As he said, there is not a single drop of Asgardian blood in him. Therefore, she is not his mother.

A certain envy comes over him. How come Thor could be of her flesh and blood and Loki could not? Why was Thor so fortunate as to be born of her? He's a frost giant, a monster. Thor is blessed with everything, even the throne, which he does not even want. But when Thor had denied the throne so easily, it disappointed Loki. He was hoping for a bit more fun, something to distract him from the lose of his mother. No, no. She was never his mother.

Everything is Thor's...nothing is Loki's. So, why not take these things from Thor, one at a time? Thor has Mjolnir, the Midgardian woman, a birthright to the throne...take all three away. Yes. Loki looks over his shoulder, Odin's corpse hidden by his magic. Looking back out over the city, he decides to start with the Midgardian woman.

~0~0~0~0~0~0

"How do you fare, Thor?" Heimdall asks without turning his gaze.

"Did I not say that at the moment the last brick is laid, I would be here, waiting for the answer of Jane?" Thor asks as he walks in front of Heimdall, meeting his golden eyes.

"You make good of your word, but you are hard of hearing. I said I might be able to tell you."

"I am not hard of hearing because I heard this. I would be a fool to pass up a chance. Now, can you or can you not?" Thor grows impatient, wanting his question to be answered. Heimdall sighs deeply and looks past Thor and out amongst the stars. Part of Thor fears that Heimdall will say he cannot see her again. Thor becomes anxious as he looks out at the stars, as if he'll see what Heimdall sees!

"She fares well. What distressed her before is…no longer there." Relief washes away all of his worries.

"Thank you, my dear friend." Thor says as he turns to Heimdall, both locking gazes again. "I must be going now as we are to celebrate the day the light returned to Asgard. I wish you could join us, if but for a brief moment."

"It would do me great pleasure, Thor, but my place is here. I cannot abandon it, not even for a brief moment." Thor smiles widely as he clasps Heimdall's shoulder.

"Then I will bring some of the celebration here! Expect me back here before sunset with the celebration for then at night I am travelling back to Midgard!" Thor releases Heimdall's shoulder and walks past him with joy in his steps as he makes for the exit, but Heimdall's next words stop him.

"Jane was very distressed only a few moments ago, to the point where one could be fighting for their lives, but now she is extremely tranquil from the inside out. I have never seen that in any creature before, so please, when you see her again this evening, do not embrace her immediately. Ensure that it is her before you touch her." Thor looks back at Heimdall who is looking back at him, his gaze confirming his words.

"Ensure that it is her?" Thor questions, a mixture of emotions swarming around him, unsure as of which ones to retain and which ones to let go of. "I do not understand."

"As long as you restrain yourself from her for a moment, all should be well."

**Because at night...well, why? What do you guys think?! Tell me what you would like to see! And what would you like to happen next when Thor visits Jane, who is now Amora, again?! Leave suggestions in your reviews. Once again, thanks and I'll write the next chapter soon! **


	4. Chapter 4 Amora, the Wicked Witch

**Here's Chapter 4! I want to thank Anon, Thane lover, and uzuki-chan for reviewing and for those who favorited/ put this story on their alerts list. I'm a bit tired, so I'm sorry if this chapter seems a bit dry, but I wanted to get it out there for you guys. I promise, the next chapter will be better with alot more detail and such. Once you're done reading this chapter, please consider what I have written at the end of it. I am a bit stuck right now. Thanks again.**

**Please sit back, relax, and enjoy the read**

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**Summary of Chapter 3: Jane is in some unknown place where Frigga finds her. Asgard has been restored and Thor wants to go back to Jane, but Heimdall has warned Thor that Jane may not be herself. Now...**

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**Chapter 4 Amora, the Wicked Witch**

"Because at night the wolves come." A small, dark square sticks out from amongst the thin trees. As they near it, she notices it's a small shack, seeming to be crafted in a single day with its leaning structure and visible gaps in the walls made of big dark green leaves.

"What's so bad about wolves?" The two arrive at the door of the makeshift shelter made of sticks and leaves tied together with thick green vines.

As Frigga opens the door and leads the way in, she explains "These are not Midgard's wolves. Nor are they your mythical werewolves. These wolves are about the same size, walk on all fours, and dwell in packs from three to ten creatures, each pack lead by a dominant female. They are very hard to see, as they are three times as fast as you and I are and they have the ability to change their fur color to match their surroundings. Their bites contain venom which can kill you if not stopped from reaching your heart. These wolves are former worshippers of Nightmare, an Asgardian who was cast out for treason. He came to this place, known as the Quagmire. It's the place where reality is folded in upon itself. Your fears are taken to the extreme and made to seem very real, also taking elements of reality and twisting them out of shape. And Nightmare is the master of the Quagmire."

The sun sets and Frigga shuts the door, locking it as best as she can by tying the vines to a log supporting the wall.

"I don't…understand." Jane admits.

"This is the place of confusion." Frigga turns to Jane. "Once you've come here, it is very difficult to escape."

"How did I get here?"

"You can come here by two ways. You can either decide to come here, or you are sent here to be ultimately destroyed by someone who has struck a deal with Nightmare. All the souls who are sent here by someone else are tested. If the soul prevails, they are allowed to return to their former lives. If the soul fails, then they are destroyed and as the ashes return to the ground, their soul becomes a part of the Quagmire, making it that much stronger."

"What about the souls that chose to come here? Are they tested?" Frigga shakes her head.

"They are helpers to the souls who are forced to come here. Eight months ago in Midgardian time, I saw Amora seeking to strike the deal with Nightmare from Valhalla. After I had consulted King Boor and the warriors of Valhalla who had gone before me, they agreed it'd be best to give you the dream of Odin's murder. We did so in hope that you'd tell Thor and then he'd be able to take the battle to Loki and reclaim his throne, but you did not tell him." The tears begin to fall down Jane's eyes as she falls to her knees.

"I'm so sorry, Frigga! I should have told him! I'm sorry!" Frigga kneels before Jane and hugs her in an attempt to comfort her.

"It is fine, Jane. You did not know." She pulls Jane's chin off her shoulder and looks her in the eye. "But now you're here. You will be tested greatly. In the Quagmire, nothing is free. Everything comes at a price. You have lost your eyes, your nose, your ears, your mind, your touch, your voice, and your very will over your own body. The only tether you have left is your heart, which is also your soul. It's what makes you who you are. In order to win all seven of these things back, you will pay a small price of your soul. If you lose your whole soul…you no longer exist. You become part of the Quagmire with no consciousness and no form at all.

"I'm here to help you, Jane, but remember, you must fight for yourself. The more I help you, the more of your soul you lose. Does this make sense?" Jane shakes her head as she wipes away her tears.

"No, this doesn't make any sense at all, but if I've got to do this, then I will. I have to get back to Thor. I have to get back to Erik and Darcy and to my mother. I can't have Amora walking around in my body."

"No, you cannot." Off in the distance, a wolf howls, sending a shiver down Jane's spine. Another howl, much closer than the first and off to the right, echoes through the night. Another howl sounds, this sounding as if it's just outside the flimsy wall behind her.

"They found us." Frigga says just above a whisper, releasing Jane and beginning to dig in the ground.

"What are you –"Jane trails off as Frigga uncovers a long knife, not long enough to be a sword, not thick enough to be a machete, but not short enough to be a typical dagger. Pulling it out of the dirt, she gives it to Jane and digs deeper until she unearths a silver bow with a quiver of arrows. As she slips the quiver onto her back, many angry growls sound as the dogs start clawing at the walls, tearing away to leaves. Frigga rises to her feet.

"Come on! Rise and fight!" Jane quickly obliges, rising to her feet. Both of them turn their backs to each other, doing a better job of widening their field of vision. Jane raises the knife, ready to strike and Frigga loads her bow with an arrow. Jane catches a glimpse of a particular wolf tearing through the wall, seeing how it's green fur blends in with the leaves of the wall. The only distinguishing factor between the animal and the dim light is its paw waving about, trying to get Jane.

~0~0~0~0~0~0(Midgard time – One day later, 2:26 a.m.)

Thor flies through the wormhole, Mjolnir leading the way. He planned to leave later so as to see Jane asleep. He might be able to observe her behavior better and see if there is any change in her as Heimdall had warned him about. In the distance past the blue, yellow, pink and green shimmering encasement of the wormhole, he sees Midgard, or Earth, as Jane had called it. Where he is heading it was cast in shadow from its sun, but he looks at the blue and green of the water and land, white clouds covering various spots of the planet's surface. It looks so small compared to the vast universe about it. If he was just a couple of Midgardian years younger, he'd think it absurd and insulting that his fate would bring him here to the Avengers, to Jane. But now with Asgard repaired and Odin ruling over the realm, he can now stay here to better protect Earth and to stay by Jane's side.

She will grow older far quicker than he will and Thor would bring Jane to Asgard, have her drink the ambrosia and become Asgardian, but he can't ask her to leave her family, friends and work. Drinking of the ambrosia also carries the risk of quick death. It is said that the ambrosia has a consciousness and a will of its own. If it finds its drinker unworthy, then it will kill the person. Otherwise, it will grant the drinker 5,000 more Midgardian years of life. He could not ask Jane to sacrifice everything to just be with him.

Entering the atmosphere of Midgard, he comes closer and closer to the roof of where she lives. On the roof, however, he sees a lone figure, their gaze lifted up towards him. Jane. What is she doing up on the roof and looking up at the sky for? She should be asleep. Heimdall never mentioned her doing such a thing.

Landing on the roof, he waits anxiously as the wormhole finishes connecting to the roof. It disappears quickly as he sees Jane move towards him quickly, a wide smile on her face.

"Thor!" She opens her arms to embrace him, but he quickly steps back, holding his free hand.

"No, Jane." She stops, her smile quickly fading as she lowers her arms.

"Thor, my love, what's wrong?" Thor raises a brow at the affectionate term. Jane's never referred to him as 'my love'.

"Jane…what did you dream of? Please tell me. I –" He's cut short as she grabs his hand and pulls his lips down to hers with surprising strength. For a split second, he tries to pull away and to restrain himself, but then a haze settles over his mind, Heimdall's warning disappearing completely. Lust consumes him as he pulls her tighter to himself with his free hand, feeling somehow freed. His memories of Jane shatter into fragments, a snippet of a memory here and a snippet of a memory there. During their kissing, she takes a fragment away from his mind and into her own, shattering the piece to more pieces like a shard of glass crumbling to flakes.

They part for need of air. His blue eyes are heavily filled with lust for Jane, not for her. She dare not take all the fragments of Thor's memories of Jane at once, otherwise he would see through the haze of her magic. Slowly, she'll take one fragment at a time, shattering each one in her own mind until Thor completely forgets Jane and only remembers Amora as the woman he loves.

He moves to kiss her again, but she stops him.

"Uh, uh, not now. You must be tired." Without other words, they go to Jane's bed and Thor falls asleep quickly, his arms about Jane's waist which is now Amora's.

**Here it is, the end of the 4th Chapter. Now, the thing I want you to really consider is how Loki ties in with all of this. I want him to be a main part of this story, but I can't find how to tie him in with Amora, Nightmare, Jane, Frigga and Thor without making it feel so forced. I'm stuck, so please, leave me suggestions in your reviews if you wish to do so. Thanks again.:)**


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